RKJ Construction Inc. has renovated and converted into an office building the historic Fort Sam Houston Hospital, shown in a photo by architectural firm Killis Almond & Associates Inc. Working with Killis Almond & Associates, RKJ also is renovating a historic theater and barracks at the U.S. Army post in San Antonio. COURTESY PHOTO RKJ Construction Inc. is continuing renovation work on several large facilities, including a historic theater and barracks, at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio.

The renovation projects are components of a fiveyear Base Realignment and Closure program in San Antonio.

While preserving the buildings’ historical features, RKJ is modernizing the two-story, 1,200-foot-long “Long Barracks” and the Fort Sam Houston Theatre. The Lampasas company completed its work on the historic Fort Sam Houston Hospital last summer and is about 80 percent finished with the renovation of a four-story structure that, although not considered historic, is among the older buildings at the U.S. Army post.

Inside the Fort Sam Houston Hospital, a century-old building set for conversion into office space, RKJ Construction added modern heating, cooling and light systems. COURTESY PHOTO An 18,000-square-foot addition to the 75-year-old theater is scheduled for completion in fall 2011. The theater will serve as the rehearsal space for the U.S. Army Soldier Show, the San Antonio Express-News reported March 9. The show, a touring musical featuring active-duty soldiers, is produced by the Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command’s Army Entertainment Division, the newspaper reported.

The Long Barracks is being converted into an Army contracting command campus, set to open in November 2011.

The hospital — which has three stories and a basement — retains its original Spanish-style porches but will house offices rather than medical treatment rooms. RKJ installed open-duct heating and cooling, and modern lights in the former hospital.

Working with San Antonio architect Killis Almond & Associates Inc., RKJ is restoring old stairs, installing new doors that match the historic look of the original buildings and replacing deteriorated wood around certain windows.

To meet government requirements for implosion resistance, RKJ is strengthening walls and installing glass of a higher pounds per square inch rating than normal.

“Some of the challenges are matching the historical windows, historical woodwork, and the old columns and porches,” RKJ president Rex Johnson said.

To maintain the original character of the buildings — some about 100 years old — the Lampasas company is using long-leaf yellow pine. That lumber can be expensive and difficult to find, Johnson said, because many of the country’s forests are being regrown with pines other than the long-leaf variety.

Many materials require special suppliers, he said.

“It’s not something you buy in a lumberyard, in other words,” Johnson said. “You have to have it made. Some of the old woodwork is quite ornate.”

An outside mill workshop is creating specialty moldings for RKJ to install, he added.

In addition to using historically accurate materials, RKJ also is addressing environmental issues. The renovations — most of which are two-year projects — require removing lead-based paint and performing asbestos abatement as part of installing new electrical and plumbing systems.

RKJ is redesigning the Fort Sam Houston buildings to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design “silver” standards for energy efficiency. Points for LEED certification are awarded based on the types of materials used and for energy conservation practices such as recycling old materials and installing highly efficient insulation.

RKJ crews range from 40 to 50 workers per job site, although as many as 80 employees at a time may work at a site.

“It’s an increase in our volume of work,” Johnson said of the business his company has received from Fort Sam Houston contracts.

Military projects account for about 90 percent of RKJ’s work, Johnson said. The company has worked at Fort Hood and Fort Polk, La., and earned its first Fort Sam Houston contract about five years ago, he said.

The historical element of the Fort Sam Houston renovations sets the work apart from other military construction RKJ has completed.

“You could probably build a new building for less money,” Johnson said, but it’s just not the same. When you see the old buildings and the outside staircases, it’s really quite charming.”